After picking up groceries, she drove home to prepare dinner for Seb before he comes back home. She has been trying to mot cross parts with him, even though they both lived in the same house. She eats dinner before he gets back and comes back down to clear the table once she hears him shut the door of his study.
This was not the life she envisioned herself living.
Sighing heavily, she opened the door, walked to the kitchen and started prepping the ingredients for dinner. Once everything was laid out on the counter, and the groceries had been neatly arranged in that pantry, she went to remove her clothes. She was very particular about her hygiene.
After freshening up, she went back to the kitchen to make dinner. She was making a simple spaghetti Bolognese fir dinner today.
She boiled a pot of salted water, and placed the spaghetti in it to cook. While it was cooking, she heated olive oil in a pan and cut the onions into tiny and thin pieces. She then added the garlic and the ground beef and cooked them until they were brown. She poured in the pasta sauce, stirred and let it simmer for 10 minutes and she seasoned with salt and pepper. When she was done, she drained the spaghetti and served with the sauce on top and garnished it with the parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Val was a great cook, if she was allowed ro say so herself and if you also asked the Seb she married not the one she was getting of recent, he would confirm that too.
Just as she served both meals and was sitting to eat, Seb walked into the house looking all rough and his shirt frumpled and not properly tucked in.
It was obvious he was not expecting to meet her at the table, since they have both been playing the game of avoidance. For a moment, his eyes widened slightly in surprised and he tried to smoothen out his shirt before he caught himself and maintained composure.
Without acknowledging her presence nor her efforts, he climbed up the stairs and didn't return till he had on a new shirt and showered.
They both ate in silence and it wasn't until she heard the scrapping of the chair and the shuffling of his feet that she raised her head. Once he locked the door of his study, she cleared the table and headed to the kitchen to do the dishes before retiring for the night.
As usual, by the next morning-even though it was Saturday-, he had gone to the company before she woke up from her sleep.
She did not have much to do today, so that morning was spent laying in bed all day. The grumbling of her stomach announced the hunger she had been trying to not attend to because she felt too lazy to walk down the stairs and make something to eat.
Now, she could not ignore her hunger state again, so she went into the kitchen and heated up the left overs from the previous day to eat.
Once she was down, she got herself a fruit wine from the fridge and popcorn, then sat down in the living room with the TV on in the background but she was scrolling through her phone.
'Mr. Cross spotted with a lady, and it is not Mrs. Cross' was the headline that was spewed all over the Internet. As if on cue, her phone rang and it was Lila.
"Girl, have you been on the web today? Have you seen the news? Never mind, I am coming over".
"Nah, you don't have to do that. I just saw it and I am not even bothered. I think deep down in my heart I have accepted the fact that I might be getting cheated on, I only need substantial evidence and I also need you to prepare those papers. I am done, Lils. I can't do this no more".
Just as she finished speaking, the door was forcibly opened and, she almost shot out of the couch, until Seb walked in, all red in the face, obviously angry and stressed.
He locked eyes with her across the living room and scoffed loudly.
"I know you have seen the news flying around, and I hope you know that I do not owe you any explanation. But, for the sake of your sanity, and to also prepare you for the stream of questions that will be thrown at you at the party tomorrow, that lady in the picture is a business partner of the company and one of the socialites you might meet at tomorrow".
Without giving her a chance to even reply, he stormed off towards his study and slammed the door making the whole house echo.
The pictures had only shown Seb's face, whoever the woman was, her face was blurred and unless you are a computer genius or a freak, you wouldn't be able to recognise her. Hell, the lady might not even recognise herself of shown, the blur was that good.
The hurried and rushed shuffling of feets reminded her of where she was. She looked behind her to see Seb with a packed bag and was moving out towards the front door.
"I will have a driver pick you up tomorrow for the party, and for your sake, do not go around blabbing to the reporters. You know how it is, don't you?
"Can I at least ask where you are going? Seb, what happened? When did we become this way? Why can't we talk things out amicably? Is it me? Did I do something wrong? Tell me what i did or didn't do and I will make amends! Babe, please".
For a split second, she saw his eyes soften, but it hardened back up quick enough.
"Wherever I am going is none of your business" was his last words to her before he left the house".
Damn!.